Snapshots
by Tekiri
Summary: The past, present, future, and alternate lives of our heroes and gods. / Drabble-oneshot collection. / Title changed.
1. a faithful blue sky

_**a faithful blue sky**_

_Summary- Zeus goes for a walk in Central Park, and meets a five-year-old girl... who, in the future, is very familiar. Slight AU._

* * *

Zeus sat on a bench in Central Park beside a 5-year-old girl who was feeding the birds some seeds. He had another argument with Hera, and he needed a break. Zeus smiled at the little girl- at least one person had appreciation for his dominion.

A few minutes later he felt a tug on his sleeve. "Mister, do you have any seeds?"

Zeus shook his head, distracted by his thoughts. "Sorry, I don't have any."

The little girl saw his electric blue eyes and frowned. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, she knew that he ruled over birds. Since he did, shouldn't he be able to make more birdseed? "Mister, can you please? The birds are very hungry. I don't think you want them to be hungry. Then they will have to walk instead of fly. And then you might be angwry that they didn't fly and make a storm on the day Mummy and Daddy go on their flight******-"

Zeus looked surprised. "I can't make storms. I-"

The little girl frowned and said defiantly, "Yes you can!"

"Now what makes you say that?"

"Your eyes."

Zeus frowned. If Hermes heard that he'd been bested by a five-year-old girl, he would have no respect from the Olympians for a whole week. All he would get is gossip and laughter. No discipline and order.

"What's wrong, Mister? Maybe if I help you, you can make more seeds for the birdies."

Zeus inwardly laughed at her comment, and suddenly felt like he needed someone to talk to. "I... a friend and I got into a fight." Now why was he talking to a little girl about this again? "And... I'm angry and sad that she doesn't agree with me."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she frowns in thought. "Mommy told me fighting was bad. Daddy told me it was not nice. But I think you should apolo- apowle-" She sighed in defeat and said something else. "say sorry."

"What?"

Her innocent big brown eyes looked into his electric blue pair in understanding. "Don't you think she feels the same to?"

Zeus thought for a moment, and them stood up. He had something to do. "Thank you..."

"Sally. Sally Jackson."

"Thank you Sally." He shook her little hand with a smile started to walk away.

"Wait! Mister!"

Sally ran up to him.

"Can you promise not to make a storm tomorrow? My mummy and daddy are going to fly on an airplane. I want them to be safe."

He smiled. "Sure, Sally. Least I could do."

She held out a pinky. "Pinky promise?"

Zeus smile grew. He needed to feel like a kid again. "Pinky promise."

* * *

**Short, but bittersweet. I thought this was cute. Hope you enjoyed this!**

***Sally is five. Most misspellings are on purpose.**

****Yes, I know that Sally's parents died on a plane crash. But, let's have a little fun with the slight AU, shall we?**


	2. Once You Were a Hero

_Once You Were a Hero_

_Summary: Luke thought that he was looking over the brink of insanity... until he is sentenced to Asphodel. / Luke and his fading sanity. AU._

* * *

Luke already thought that he was looking over the brink of insanity before he came to Asphodel. Then he discovered that insanity was much worse.

Each move in Asphodel seemed to be either sluggish, or fast. Time in the fields was unsteady, like the sea itself. The sea would roll, or seem perfectly still, and Luke would feel as if he were in a trap, like a bug stuck in hardening amber, or a motorcycle rider who just discovered that his break didn't work while on a highway that was sloping downhill.

Sometimes, he would hear a whisper. A simple, soft whisper of the wind saying hello. Then a rumbling and a mumbling, and Luke would sprint through the field, hoping to find a riot, or even a party, for Olympus's sake.

Then he would stop and realize that there was nothing. No talk, no chattering teeth, no silly cricket sound. No other voice besides his own desperate scream to fill the empty void.

He was alone.

Luke realized that the fields of Asphodel were worse than the Fields of Punishment. There was no-one that could hear him. Every step towards Hades's palace was a lie- a lie that pained him, a lie that would sew his hope together and tear it apart again, repeating like a drum's steady rhythm.

_Once you were a hero._

Luke stopped in his tracks. Was Annabeth here? Her voice sounded real (_It had to be, it must be real, _He thought) and bittersweet. She didn't deserve to be in the field, she deserved Elysium.

_Luke, _The voice said, luring him closer to the center poplar tree. _Luke, once, you were a hero._

"Annie..." He mumbled, using the nickname she 'hated'. "Annabeth. Annabeth!"

_Luke._ The voice was different. How did Thalia join Annabeth so quickly? She couldn't have died so quickly, unless-

_Luke, you were once a hero. _He sprinted closer to the tree, _but look at where that got you._

He looked around wildly, eyes searching for a familiar face. His lips curved into a frown.

It was an illusion.

Luke touched the tree, Thalia and Annabeth's voices still engraved in his mind. He touched the rugged bark with his right hand, and he looked up the tree. A perched bat look down on him, raining down sorrow in fake voices and Luke's humiliation.

_You were once a hero, Luke. _The bat seemed to say in an intertwined voice that mocked Luke. _Luke, heroes are forgotten. They serve the worst fate._

_Luke, Luke, why didn't you save us? Luke, once you were a hero, and look at where that got you._

_You're a ghost._

He was driven mad.

. . .

_fin._

* * *

**Title credit goes to _Summer Leigh Wind_. One of her fics RotG, **_**It's Gold and it's Glowing with all the Life you have Left, **_**inspired me to write this.**


	3. Circus Freaks

**_Circus Freaks_**

_Summary- Jason heard the saying 'let's run to the circus!' too many times. Instead of running towards it, he would rather run away._

_Warning(s): AU; mentions of abuse and selling (you'll know what I mean when you read it.)_

* * *

Dead silence entered the ring when Jason hit the _STOP_ button on the CD player. He grabbed an icy bottle of water and poured the liquid over his head. Then, he jumped.

Jason always liked flying. Even though he didn't have wings, or he couldn't just levitate in the air, he still knew what it felt like to soar through the air without a burden. Or he used to, before Thalia-

_Don't go there. _Even thought he was only 6 then, Jason could still remember the roar of the audience and each crack of the bones when she fell without the net after doing her first quadruple flip-*****

_You can't do something as simple as shutting up, can you?_

The bar slipped from his hands due to the lack of concentration. Jason cursed, and forced himself to relax as he fell in the net.

Yes, the net. Since the fateful performance, Jason simply refused to show without a net. The rest of the performers understood, but the Ringmaster...

Today, though, it would be the first time in years he would perform without a net. He just hoped that it wouldn't be him who lost his grip, or it wouldn't be his bones clashing against the earth as the 'Last Flying Grace'*****-

"Hey, Sparky, help out setting up the other tents, will you?"

Jason climbed down the high platform and lightly punched Leo in the arm. "How many times do I have to tell you, Valdez- it's Jason, not Sparky."

"Hey Sparky!" Leo and Jason turned to Piper's voice. "We have two hours 'til the performance! Get the tents set up!"

The fire-breather grinned his signature lopsided grin. "So, _Sparky_, wasn't it?"

Jason face palmed. "Leo, don't call me Sparky."

"Hey, Sparky, we are in the US of A. It's a free country, I can do whateves."

"And does 'whateves' include making a plan to set the tent on fire?"

"Hey, that was only one performance!"

"And the Director? What did he think of that?"

Leo's grinned turned into a look of fear, and he rubbed the scar on his elbow. The only singe mark that harmed Leo. When Annabeth -the owl-er, since they had no falconer- helped Leo heal from the ringmaster's brutal form of punishment, they were all curious about the flame. Fire never seemed to touch Leo, and when it made contact, it never left any marks.

It wasn't the 'invincible-to-fire' thing that they were curious about. They were all 'freaks'. Percy was always the one who would calm down the animals, or perform the jump-from-the-high-platform-into-a-shallow-pool thing, _and _breath underwater, while his girlfriend Annabeth would train her owl Brutus (which _didn't_ like Percy) or help the Director with financial things. Piper would help out with negotiations, since she could talk anyone into something, or help raise money for the circus by going to beauty pageants that she despised. Frank would outline Rachel, their fortune-teller, in a duel-act with spatterpaint arrows from 75 feet, and Leo would be the Big Top's clown and firebreather. The Di Angelo Trio -or duo, since Bianca... _passed_- made the most intimidating act, with Nico's shadow tricks and Hazel's mysterious gems.

Their circus was the biggest hit in America, and one of the top 5 in all the international tours. But even then, it wasn't home. _Home_ was with their dead mothers who baked blue cookies and built advanced prototypes, and fathers who were the top business men or history professors that ignored their children.

Jason pat Leo's back sympathetically. "Sorry man. Low blow."

Leo sighed and ran a hand through his curly locks. "Thanks. And sorry about the," he gestured to the high platform. "I hope the ringmaster won't be too hard on that."

Jason nodded. The words 'good luck' were taboo to all the performers. Those were the last words that Thalia and Bianca heard.

The teenage boys were silent the rest of the time while setting up. Soon, the audience would come, and everyone would hope that no-one said 'good luck'; not even the audience.

* * *

"Welcome to the Kolosiem*******!"

Jason felt like throwing up. The last time he went with Thalia out to the trapeze, they were the first act.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present you..."

Jason would sprint as far as he could from the circus if the butterflies in his stomach wouldn't act up.

"... the Pied Piper!"

Jason raced over to the nearest bucket.

* * *

Piper smiled at him reassuringly. "It'll be okay, you'll do fine." She pat his shoulder. "You've practiced for years. You have the luck."

_Luck_. Jason glanced around the room. The rest of his friends didn't hear anything. He gave Piper a small, but fake, smile. "Thanks Pipes. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Then he left.

* * *

Electric blue eyes skimmed over the audience. The Big Top was packed, and every family seemed to have two times more children. They must have been confident that Jason wouldn't fall, or else the children wouldn't be there. Who would want a child scarred with the memory of a broken body?

_Fate, that's who._

Jason took a deep breath, and he looked down. No net. Just like-

_Jason, there's a crowd._

Then, at his cue, the trapeze artist flew. That was the only way of describing it. Jason Grace was soaring in the Big Top. The crowd was silent.

Jason looked at the next bar. He could do it. He could do the quadruple flip to honor Thalia.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

_Fi-_

_Five. _The crowd was astounded. Five flips. Jason grinned, he wished Thalia could see that. Maybe the performance wouldn't be bad, but then-

Everything happened in a flash. His fingers could still remember the feel of his chalk-covered hands slipping.

Jason panicked. _He was falling, falling like his sister and he'll feel what she did when her bo-_

He closed his eyes, his muscles tense._ He didn't want to touch the ground, he wanted to live, he wanted to fly, he-_

Then everything stopped. Jason peaked out of one eye. He was standing in midair, just mere inches from the ground.

It was a miracle. Jason wanted to dance and whoop in joy, but first he wanted to try something.

_Up._

The winds picked up, and Jason grasped the bar in his hands.

Then, with a triumphant smirk on his face, he went back to flying.

The audience cheered, but a rock of guilt sank in Jason's stomach. Why couldn't Thalia do what he did?

* * *

Once he went backstage, he was swarmed by hugs. No-one asked what was going on, but everyone was silent. Piper clung on to him like a baby koala on its mother's back.

The silence was unnerving, and the tent seemed abandoned, since the crowd was out during the intermission. Jason frowned. "What's wrong?"

Hazel blinked, her aurum eyes gleaming like an owl's. In a hoarse whisper, she said, "The Director wants to speak to you."

Being asked to be in the Director's presence wasn't good. No-one in their group that came from the office skipped like a jolly Santa back to their dorms. Each performer had scars, and each performer was hurt a bit more.

Piper pried herself off him, and the group started to clear a path to the ringmaster's office. Jason felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We're here if you need us, 'k?" Percy spoke in the same hushed voice. Jason simply nodded.

Then he opened the door.

* * *

Jason never saw the Director's face.

No-one ever has. Even the audience, who always saw him with a mask.

So Jason was shocked to come face-to-face with the ringmaster.

The man smiled; he was younger than Jason thought he would be. The Director had sandy blonde hair and a surfer's skin complexion. His blue-grayish****** eyes seemed to hold a victorious smirk, even though it wasn't shown on his face. He would have been very handsome if the long scar on his face didn't exist.

The man chuckled. "Hello, Jason. Would you please sit down? Yes, I've changed my look; that mask was getting stuffy."

Jason hesitantly sat in one of the two chairs in front of the ringmaster's desk. The ringmaster leaned forward. "I want to know how you did that little trick back there."

Jason froze. "I- I don't know, sir."

"Did I not see you wearing a smile in the spotlight, or am I mistaken?"

Jason bit his lip. There was something very familiar about the man... "No... no, sir."

"I'm mistaken?" The ringmaster asked, acting casual. The flame in his eyes seemed to rise, but the temperature of the room seemed like a meat locker's. "Are you calling me a liar, Mr. Grace?"

"N-no sir."

"So am I correct?"

"Y-yes sir."

The man leaned forward one more, and Jason didn't miss a bronze gleam under the man's sleeve. "Then how did you do that?"

Jason didn't respond. His mind was working, and things were adding up. He remembers where he saw that face. It was -_is_- all over the headlines. Luke Castellan. Murderer. Terrorist.

Luke glanced at Jason and backed up. Jason let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and slumped in his seat.

Jason could have sworn Luke's eyes gleamed gold. "This is the last time I will repeat myself, Mr Grace. How. Did. You. Do. It?

After a second of silence, Jason saw the Director reach in his sleeve and pull out a dagger. _Annabeth_'s missing dagger.

The group of 9 has been looking for the weapon for months. It was Annabeth's only thing that was not supplied from the circus.

The ringmaster twirled the dagger casually in his hand. "Well, since there was no answer, Mr. Grace, I suppose I will have to teach you a lesson."

Jason should have lied.

* * *

Pain. All Jason could feel was pain.

Four new dagger scars. Lashes across his back. A black eye. He was shivering from the icy bucket used to mop the elephant pen; he would probably have an infection or have hypothermia.

Jason was numb, and his shirt was torn to shreds. Luke threw him by the door, the knob hitting Jason's head. Jason just opened the door before he lost awareness. The last thing he remembered was being dragged to a trailer by his friends.

* * *

Annabeth placed a warm cloth on Jason's forehead, and wrapped a blanket around him. He snuggled in with Annabeth and sneezed.

Rachel pat his head and glanced at the door where Piper headed out to see the Director. "What does he have?"

Annabeth frowned. Why would the Director do this, the show went well tonight? "Hypothermia, and some infected wounds. I didn't get the chance to look yet; I'll wait till he wakes up. Frank, could you please get the hot cocoa?"

Frank nodded, and within seconds, placed a tray holding nine hot, steaming mugs. "We need to get out of here."

Nico frowned. "How? Some of us can drive, but none of us have a license. The keys are hanging in the Director's office. If we were to get out, we need a plan."

"But since when do our plans work?" Leo said. "The last time we had a plan, we were all beaten."

The four were quiet. Piper burst in the room with silent tears trailing down her face.

Percy instantly stood up. "What happened?"

Piper sniffed. "He... he didn't do anything to me..." Relieved sighs were heard around the small trailer. "But... he said I have a customer. He said I'm old enough to have my first."

Nico looked grim. "We're definitely getting out of here."

Leo looked like he was about to throw up. "What's the date?"

A hushed voice answered, "A month from now."

A month. Only four weeks.

Jason coughed and rubbed his black eye. "Did I-" he coughed again, his voice sore. Jason spoke in a whisper and Percy handed him a steaming mug. "Did I just hear what I think I did?"

Solemn nods.

"W-we have hope. A last resort."

Percy's eyebrows rose. "Didn't you consider that after every 'appointment' with the Director should have been a last resort?"

Jason ignored the retort. "Do you remember Hylla? And Reyna?"

Nods were seen around the room.

Jason took a slip of paper out of his shoe and unfolded the sheet.

Smudged, but eligible handwriting attracted the group of nine to the coffee table.

Jason smiled. "Hylla has a license. She could pick us up tomorrow."

Cheers were heard around the room.

They were getting out.

* * *

Reyna closed the truck's door. Jason smiled at her. "Thanks. A lot."

All he got from Reyna was a nod.

Jason flipped and landed like a cat in the truck. Leo fist-bumped him and Piper hugged him.

The crew was silent in the night, and all Jason heard was the crickets and the engine's purr.

Then the car drove, and Jason couldn't help but feel free.

* * *

**^Yes, I know, Di Angelo Duo/Trio. They unofficially 'adopted' Hazel to be in their family.**

***Tee hee... any fellow DC Nation fans here?**

****Can someone please tell me Luke's eye color?**

*****I know how to spell the word Coliseum, thank you very much.**

**The ringmaster and the Director are the same, BTW.**

**Should I continue this? Or rewrite it as a separate story?**

**. . .**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Substitutes

_Substitutes_

_Summary: Because even though Jason didn't love her and Piper chose his best friend over him, they still deserved a happy ending. / Leo, Reyna, and their imperfections._

_For: Rosa/DragonInAHouseOfFlames_

_Pairing: Leo/Reyna, even though I prefer Echo/Leo. :)_

_Anything else: Some parts are AU. Well, I guess everything is, since Leyna isn't a cannon couple. (shrugs) Well, go on..._

* * *

"This is-"

"Reyna." The praetor said, cutting of Jason with cold words and an equally cool glare. "Reyna, praetor of the _Fuminata_." She doesn't offer a hand, and Leo felt slightly relieved. The praetor seemed scary enough, and Leo didn't want to take any risks...

He studied the purple-cloaked girl before him. Her hands kept twitching, as if she just wanted to throw her arms around Jason. Her dark brown eyes kept darting back and forth between Jason, Piper, and their connected hands. Leo could also see her hair pins in perfect place: She dressed herself up for a guy she liked, but then found out that he loved a different girl.

Once Jason and Piper walked away, Reyna noticed Leo and stiffened. "What?"

Leo's fingertips brushed over her elbows. "Hey," he spoke softly, "If you need anything... I'm here. I know how it feels."

For a second, her eyes flashed and he thought her walls would crack.

Instead, she turned her back on him. "I don't need your sympathy."

Leo watched her retreating figure and his shoulders slumped.

She was a soldier, a fighter. Did she really need that comment?

_Everyone has feelings, mijo. Even those who try to block them._

Yes. She did.

* * *

Leo watched his best friends' backs heading towards New Rome. _They needed their time alone_, Leo thought, ignoring the black hole in his stomach, unsuccessfully trying to suck his feelings for Piper. He focused his vision on Piper, (_Jason's girlfriend, _a voice reminded him) sighing as he heard her laugh (_The way she only did with his best friend) _and play with her hair.

He saw the way Jason looked at her. How she would blush and look down. But he wouldn't break their friendship. At least Piper thought of him as a brother, right?

That was better than nothing...

He kicked a pebble and headed towards Temple Hill. It was quiet, and he needed to think.

* * *

Reyna needed time.

She sat on the steps of her mother's temple, and leaned on one of the pillars. She sighed, and took out the bobby pins from her dark hair.

_Mom, why couldn't I be more like you? You're a warrior- you don't get hurt. Why can't I be strong-_

_Because Hylla sheltered you, _an inner voice replied, _She sheltered you, she kept information from you-_

_Because she want to protect me, _Reyna countered.

_Ignorance has its cost._

Reyna pulled out her dagger, fingers sliding over the engraved hilt.

She heard someone whistle and froze.

The whistling grew closer, and Reyna's hand went over the hilt-

She threw the dagger straight towards Leo.

Leo, shocked, dodged and looked at the golden dagger, embedded in one of the fence posts. "Oh, hi-" He turned and saw Reyna, who was now standing up. "Hi Reyna?"

"Hi." She plopped down on the marble steps. "What are you doing here?"

Reyna could see Leo freeze before he regained composer. "No-one offered to show me around." He shrugged. "So I decided to give myself a tour." Leo glanced at her. "My offer's still open, you know."

Reyna sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She stood back up. "I'll show you around." His eyes gleamed, "So that you don't end up destroying anything in the process."

Leo blinked owlishly, wondering if the icy girl he was introduced to actually said a joke. She ignored his reaction, and headed down Temple Hill. "Don't just stand there all day. Are you coming or not?"

* * *

"Hi Rey!" Leo said, walking up Temple Hill. He waved at her, ignoring the looks from the legionnaires. "Ready?"

It had been weeks since their meeting. Leo ended up sticking around, and decided to call her Rey in the process. To his pleasure, she stopped objecting. "So, where to today?"

"To the Principia." She answered immediately. He pouted. "I've already shown you everywhere else. I actually need to get some work done while spending time with you."

Leo's adorable eyes (Wait, did she just think _adorable eyes_?! Oh Venus.) lit up, like a child being offered candy. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"No. That would just be a disaster."

His pout deepened. "But-"

"I said _no, _Leo." Reyna spoke, and Leo swore that he saw a hint of laughter in her eyes. "No means no. Or are you so stupid to understand a two-letter word?"

His cocky grin slipped naturally on his face. "Me? Idiotic? No- I'm a son of Hephaestus! You must be thinking of the wrong person!" He playfully bumped her shoulder.

"_Well,_"

The playful argument continued, and the legionnaires wondered how much impact Leo could make.

* * *

"Reyna, as full-time praetor, you cannot be in a romantic relationship."

"Octavian, Leo and I are not dating." She set her dagger on the altar. "We're just friends."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then how did you know I meant Leo?"

She stayed silent.

Octavian sighed. "I didn't approve your relationship with Jason. What makes you think I'll approve this?"

"Cassandra."

His blood froze.

"You've been part of the Legion longer," Reyna started, "and I wasn't here when I heard the legend." Her dark eyes peered at his light ones. "Each augur was destined to fall in love, but the law says that you 'cannot be in a romantic relationship'." She quoted, "Each lifetime, the augur would fall in love with a prophesses Cassia, Cass, Cassie, Cassiopeia... the name varies." She stared down Octavian. "But your match was Cassandra, wasn't it?"

Octavian turned, and played with a teddy bear. His shoulders drooped, defeated. "Love breaks you." he whispered, "that's what Juno wanted to teach."

She walked out of the temple, seeing that there was nothing else to say.

* * *

"So, what'cha doin'?" Leo asked, and Reyna looked at the half-eaten bowl of jellybeans and sighed. She would have to make a trip to the candy store, just to by a bag jellybeans. _Again._

Reyna raised a concerned eyebrow and looked at hyperactive, jellybean-addict Leo, who was spinning around in the Principia's spinny-chair. She raised another concerned eyebrow; he was hanging _upside-down _while popping more jellybeans in his mouth. "Did you just imitate Isabella from Phineas and Ferb?"

He shrugged. "Does that make you Phineas?"

"Does that make you Isabella?" Reyna countered, and stacked up some papers.

"In the show, Isabella's the one that kisses Phineas. _Sooooooooo_," Leo said, drawing out the word, "Let's ignore your work, hmm? And-" He winked at her. "A smooch?"

Reyna froze, and the hyperactive grin slid off Leo's face. The dogs growled as Leo stood up and walked to Reyna, who was dazed. "Reyna?" Leo asked concerned. "Rey? You know I was kidding, right?"

_"How about a kiss for good luck, eh?" Jason asked playfully._

_She bumped his shoulder and grinned. "Nah... I'd rather kiss Dakota..."_

_"Rey!"_

_"What? At least the kiss would be sweet! Our fist kiss tasted like Chipotle!"_

_He laughed. "After that, you burped."_

"Gods, Rey? Reyna, are you-" Leo gripped her shoulders and shook her vigorously. She blinked and looked at him. He relaxed. "Oh, gods, I was so-"

"Valdez." That shut him up. She stood up. "Ready to go?"

He raced by the door and grabbed the keys off the hook. "Where to, Rey?"

Leo swore that she gave him a hint of a smile. "One place that's not on the map- the Bacchus gardens."

* * *

Leo breathed in the fresh air and looked around. "Wow. Why didn't you show me this before?"

She sat on the soft grass. "It's not part of the tour."

He grinned and sat besides her. "This place is amazing."

Reyna nodded. "I usually go here after paperwork." She relaxed. "It's peaceful."

"Yeah." His eyes bounced from once site to once site until they caught something red. "Oh! Wait here!"

Seconds later, he rushed back with a wreath of red flowers. "You know you're not supposed pick those, right?"

He waved a hand. "Whatever. It's not like they're gonna throw me in the Little Tiber, right?"

Before she could answer, he plopped the wreath on her head. "There!" He tucked a stray strand behind her ear. "Perfect!"

Leo stood back and looked at her through his hand, like a camera lens. He then frowned. "Nah; you need more blue." He plucked the flowery bush and weaved a bracelet. Within seconds, it was latched on her wrist. "There!" He said victoriously. "Now that looks better!"

He sat by her on the grass, and she reached to touch the wreath. "No no!" Leo slapped her hand playfully. "No touchie! The crown must stay put!"

Reyna laughed, and he grinned. "Well, Princess Rey, you look good."

She froze at the word _princess_. "Leo... a bit to close for comfort."

His eyebrows furrowed in thought. "So you were a princess before?"

Reyna studied the bracelet silently, and he wondered if he asked the wrong thing. "Well," she started of, quiet and hesitant, "I guess you could say that." She plucked a strand of grass. "But that was once upon a time."

Leo bumped her on the shoulder. "Note the pun."

She smiled, and both sat quiet, absorbing the scenery and the conversation around them. A horn blew in the distance, jerking the two from their thoughts.

"We're probably going to be late, right Rey?" He stood up, and Reyna realized something: she had a new comrade, a new friend, and something to lean on. And maybe, maybe she could take her mask off once in a while.

Reyna grinned and stood by him, shifting her toga. "Whoever makes it first to the Forum wins! On my mark-"

"Go!" Leo sprinted, Reyna soon at his heels.

"Hey! You cheated!"

Leo, ever so mature, stuck out his tongue. "Blame it on the jellybeans!"

Reyna laughed, not minding the rushing and gawking legionnaires behind her, scurrying to the Forum before role call.

She saw the way that light would dance in his eyes when he saw Piper, but she also saw how he felt uncomfortable... _around her_.

He was Leo, and she was Reyna. And they both knew that they could heal each other soon enough, they just needed time.

A small smile graced her lips.


	5. fee, fi, fo, fum

_**Fee Fi Fo Fum**_

_**Ask not whence the thunder comes**_

_**Ask not where the birds have gone**_

_**For between heaven and earth is a perilous place.**_

_**Home to a fearsome giant race. **_

_**Who hunger to conquer the mortals below**_

_**Waiting for the seeds of revenge to grow**__**.**_

* * *

_**fee fi fo fum**_

* * *

Annabeth was scared out of her wits.

All the laughter from the other army, all the thundering drums, all the noise- it all imitated her, even if she didn't want to admit it.

In one hand, she clutched to Percy's own. In the other, she wielded her famous bronze dagger.

They prepared for so long, shining their weapons until the gleamed like Apollo's chariot, and practicing until Artemis rested her reindeer in the stables.

She wasn't expecting to be prepared. Who is ever prepared for war?

But this- this made her feel like a rookie.

This made her doubt that they were going to win.

* * *

_**Ask not whence the thunder comes**_

_**Ask not where the birds have gone**_

* * *

She tried her best not to get distracted.

But with Percy's torrent and the souls by the gates of Tartarus just _begging_ and_ pleading_ for her to rest in their palace and eat at their tables, Annabeth almost got stabbed more often than she did in the Second Titan War.

Then, she saw Jason fall out of the sky.

No scream- her throat was hoarse. But even the sound of his bones cracking on the ground made her flinch. It seemed like the only sound she could hear in the battlefield.

Jason was their Roman, their cohort, their child of the sky. Even though she didn't trust him in the beginning, her respect for him grew because of one main reason: he kept them together while Percy and her were gone.

And with the thought of revenge implanted in her mind, she blocked another sword.

* * *

_**For between heaven and earth is a perilous place.**_

_**Home to a fearsome giant race.**_

* * *

She saw it happen before. In the 'myths' Typhon rose from the earth.

The giants were almost impossible to kill. Each breath as a gift from their father, the sky, their strength feeding them from the earth. She felt as if it was almost impossible to kill them; when were the gods coming?

Finally, Annabeth saw it.

They were losing.

Annabeth swore she almost tripped on a cavalry sword, and found a monster picking its tooth in the reflection of Helen's ancient knife. She killed the thing and scattered its dust from the east to the west.

* * *

_**Who hunger to conquer the mortals below**_

* * *

The smoke was slithering through Annabeth's throat.

Fire. Heat. _Burning._

Scalding water seared her skin and she crawled blindly, knowing that Percy's attempt to snuff out the fire was like a single teardrop on a hearth.

Everything just evaporated, and the war didn't seem to matter. Demigods from both sides were trying to help each other. Everyone was in pain.

_To storm or fire the world must fall._

The fire was out-of-control. The flames licked her third-degree burns, and screams of terror arose all around her.

By the time the wind blew the blaze out, all Annabeth could see for miles were piles of ash. Everything was lost. No Loopy Leo, no Seaweed Brain, just ashes and ashes and ashes.

And, of course, the giants.

* * *

_**Waiting for the seeds of revenge to grow**__**.**_

* * *

Pain. Muddled thoughts. Darkness.

She just wished that the giants just killed her. That they didn't scar her already scorched face.

But that would be mercy, and the giants were ruthless.

Her sprained ankle healed itself incorrectly. She was blinded. Annabeth was whipped with a cat of nine tails*, beaten with a club, and was dropped in the sea, hands bound behind her back.

Just within 30 minutes.

_Don't give up_.

Where were the gods?

_Maybe the faded, maybe they were in Tartarus. Maybe they just gave up._

The giants won. And Annabeth knew no hope.

She also knew that she had no strength to fight back.

She closed her eyes, and never woke up.

* * *

***Cat of Nine Tails- a nine-tailed whip; sometimes had shards of glass, pottery, or other garbage at its ends that dig into the skin.**

**Ha, here's where the rating comes in.**

**I wrote this a while ago after I watched Jack and the Giant Slayer. :D Got obsessed with the poem. It's a bit darker... that's why I chose to update_ Substitutes_ first.**

**Hope you enjoyed it-?**

**I was kinda nervous when I updated this...**

**Later.**


	6. Dream-Catcher

**Hey.**

**RRE! (Read, review, and enjoy!)**

* * *

Piper sat up in her sleeping bag, wide-eyed and dagger in her hand. She relaxed when she realized that she was outside on Uncle Tom's lawn, 'camping' for her birthday. She sheathed her dagger and rubbed her forehead. It was getting harder to sleep- the demigod dreams kept annoying her to no end. _Annoying_ wasn't the right word, but at 3 in the morning (Leo made her a watch, much like Percy's) your vocabulary degraded.

She rolled out of her knapsack, seeing that it was useless to fall asleep.

"Piper?"

She turned to face her dad, rubbing his eyes to chase off the much-needed sleep. She crawled over to him. "Dad?"

He sat up. "Pipes? Are you-"

"I'm fine, Dad." Even though he took the potion, Piper was worried that he would still have dreams. And he did; Melly told her. "Are you?"

Tristan sat up groggily. "I-" he sighed. "I don't really know."

"Dad? Do you want to-? Let's talk-" Piper and Tristan weren't close, even though they tried. "How about-"

He chucked, despite being uncomfortable. His face grew saddened again. "Yeah... Pipes?"

His arm found its way on her shoulder, clutching it like a lifeline. "Piper.. I was scared." He hung his head in shame. "I.. The monsters, Pipes. They were real." Piper could feel him repressing a shudder. "And I couldn't protect you." The line was whispered.

She hugged him, her knowledge about the gods making her feel slightly guilty. "Dad." The monsters out there were real, and Piper knew that deep down, her dad knew that too.

Tristan let out a laugh with a hint of bitterness. "Well, we just have to hope they aren't, right?"

The guilt sinking in her stomach seemed to grow. "Yeah Dad," she spoke, her voice cracking. "Yeah."

Silence wrapped them like a blanket as they embraced their touch. Tristan released it, and she lean on his shoulder. "Have I ever told you about the dream-catcher?"

She shook her head, and he glanced at her, surprised. "Really? I haven't? Well, the dream-catcher's a small hoop that has a net stretched across it. The net has a little hole in the middle, so the good dreams could go through. The bad dreams end up getting caught in the net." He shrugged. "Even though it's from the Ojibwa tribe, I... I still like it." Both had unspoken thoughts about why.

"Now if it were useful, I would use it." Piper commented, and felt the need to talk about it to Leo later.

Her dad clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I'm going to go to sleep. We can't be tired driving around your new car tomorrow."

At the sight of her shock expression, he chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed it. "I told you we'd be picking out a car for your sixteenth birthday."

He sat by his sleeping bag and crawled in. "'Night Pipes."

She tackle-hugged him, and they both landed on the knapsacks. "'Night Dad."

**. . .**

"Happy Father's Day!" Piper exclaimed, and waved a hand to her dad. She wandered towards him on the set, feeling the small box in her pocket.

His eyes lit up. "Piper!" He gave her a one-arm hug. "How did you get back here?"

The light in his eyes twinkled in her own. She glanced at the spirit behind her and winked. "Melly helped me."

He laughed and she pulled out the box. "Here Dad."

The surprise in his eyes quickly overcame his face. "Pipes?" Then she remembered that she never gave him a Father's Day present before, much less try to come to the set to celebrate it.

Piper grinned, ignoring the growing guilt. "Open it Dad!"

He took off the lid, and the grin on her face quickly reflected on his own. "Wow."

The dream-catcher sat in the box, radiating the magic that the Hecate cabin charmed. "It's all yours."

He hugged her, burying his face in her shoulder. "Thanks Pipes."

She smiled behind his back. "Happy Father's Day, Dad."

* * *

**Here's my Father's Day tribute! :)**

**This thing is disappointingly short. Shortest one in a while, actually. Well, I hope the plot line made it up to you...**

**Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful older 'gentlemen' in our lives!**


	7. Untitled

**Disclaimer: on profile.**

**THIS IS AN AU! I just want you to know... :)**

**RRE!**

* * *

Percy hated school.

To him, school was torture. ADHD didn't seem to get along with dyslexia, and the teachers made a hobby to pick on him.

To top it off, he wasn't allowed on the swim team because his grades were low. Yes, torture was the right word to describe school.

He attempted to bang his head on his desk, missing and hitting his nose*****. Inwardly complaining, he turned to the clock.

It wasn't even thirty minutes when he last impatiently looked. More like thirty seconds.

_When would it **end**?_

Percy put his head in his arms, hoping to doze off into a proper nap.

No such luck.

The teacher walked by him and slammed her ruler on a nearby desk, causing Percy and the girl beside him to jerk awake.

"Annabeth Chase!" The teacher scolded, and Percy and the blonde next to him, Annabeth, both jumped again at the sound of her voice. "Shame on you for sleeping in class. Now what's the answer to this-"

The girl squinted at the board. "x equals 2.5, y equals 5, z equals twenty five. The bonus is 12,280." With that, she slumped back in her seat.

The teacher's face betrayed shock before she could compose herself. She _hrmphed_. "Fine job," She admitted reluctantly, "but detention for sleeping."

The girl beside him was too tired to answer.

* * *

Annabeth Chase relaxed in her seat, stifling a yawn.

Her dad would kill her for sleeping.

She brushed off the thought, eyes drooping slightly.

For her, school was a waste of time. She exceeded expectations, but_ no_, her father (she wasn't close enough to call him dad, at least not anymore) wouldn't send her off to a much more interesting school. Learning through books in the middle of the night wasn't the wisest thing to do. Yeah, she thought books were great, but after a while of only college books, they tend to get boring.

She couldn't remember the last time they went to the bookstore to get books she actually liked.

It wasn't like the Greek mythology books were important anymore, or the legends he told her for bedtime stories when she was little. He was too busy spending money on her _lovely_ stepmother.

Annabeth felt a tap on her shoulder and grouchily lifted her head.

Intriguing green eyes peered back at her, holding a slip of paper.

She took it and read the sloppy handwriting, which took a few minutes.

_**Why did you do that to Mrs Dodds?**_

Annabeth rolled her eyes and replied in cursive_, I have no reason to pay attention to her._

_**Sorry, I can't read cursive.**_  
_  
__Sorry, can't read your handwriting._

After a few minutes, he replied, _**Touche.**_

_What took you so long? Can't think of a good comeback?__  
_  
_**No, my dislexia's stupid**_.  
_  
__You know that dyslexia is spelled with a __**y**__, right?_

_**….Smart-aleck.**__**  
**__  
__Idiot.__  
__  
__**Know-it-all.**__**  
**__  
__And what? Knowing everything can''t be bad.__  
__  
_She met the other's eyes and he stuck his tongue out at her. She replied maturely by doing the same.

The bell rang, and both stood up, surprised how quickly the time passed by.

"I never got your name." Annabeth stated, shifting her books in her arms.

"Percy Jackson." Percy grinned, and then bowed slightly. "At your service."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and then glanced at Percy again.

Or where Percy _was_. He already disappeared in the crowd.

Annabeth sighed and slightly frowned.

Then she looked at the note left on his desk and let a small smile slip through her lips. A new spark of energy lit in her eyes.

Maybe today wouldn't be so boring after all.

* * *

**Hello, world! Sorry I haven't updated in a while... I've got no excuses. (shrugs)**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed i! :D**

***You know the missing-and-hitting-your-nose thing? I did that once. :P**


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